How to fix UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME (0x000000ED) on my Windows XP Dell laptop?

Solution 1:

The Unmountable Boot Volume blue screen could be caused by a number of things. Scan the RAM in the machine with a bootable piece of software called Memtest which can be downloaded here: http://www.memtest86.com/memtest86-3.5.iso.zip If it finds errors, then the RAM is faulty and needs to be replaced. If not, the it may be the hard drive is failing/failed. This will need replacing. Try another drive in the laptop and see if that fixes anything.

Hope this helps :) (I work in IT by the way and come across this problem many times)

Solution 2:

First thing, to disable automatic restart - After the BIOS has finished and before the Windows logo comes up, hit F8 on your keyboard and select the option "Do not restart on system failure".

That aside, as you managed to see the error - Get any Windows XP (or even Vista/7) disk and load it up. Go to the recovery console or command prompt and type

chkdsk /F

When that is finished run (I do not think you can do this from a Vista/7 disk):

fixmbr

This solves 80+% of Windows boot failures that are not driver related.

If this is caused by bad sectors in the wrong place, running the above command should avoid them and you may get to use your disk for longer, however I would advise that you get all your files off and buy a new one as soon as possible as bad sectors always lead to more before to long.... However, it could of also just been something innocent such as powercut during an update / system file being written.

Solution 3:

Do not assume that a HDD is bad, just because you see a blue screen.

Without making any assumptions, let's diagnose whether the possible causes exist:

1. Check if the disk is still properly working, check SMART table and do an error scan. Back-up if not...

2. Try to run chkdsk /r on the partition(s) and check if the I/O cables are connected properly.

3. Do a memory test, ensure that there are no errors or else replace it.

4. As a last resort, back-up your data then do a format and reinstall...

Try an installation medium and hit SHIFT+F10, an alternative could be Hiren's Boot CD with which you can do all of the above steps as they are all provided by Hiren's Boot CD...

Solution 4:

This Microsoft Support page might be relevant:

When you use volumes that use the NTFS file system on integrated device electronics (IDE) drives with caching enabled, you may receive the following error message during startup:

Stop 0x000000ED
Unmountable_Boot_Volume

The normal recovery process in such a case is to run the chkdsk /r command from Recovery Console, and then continue. On OEM versions of Windows XP, the Recovery Console may not be accessible. If this fix has not been included in the OEM build of Windows XP, you may not be able to enter Recovery Console and run the chkdsk /r command for recovery.

While the cause doesn't appear to be one addressed directly by this Microsoft Support page (it's about upgrading to XP), it does have some troubleshooting tips and further links.